Illumination control system



May 14, 1940.

R. B. HUNTER ILLUMINATION CONTROL SYSTEM Filed July 15. 1939 m mzmun Patented May 14, I940 uurrso srn'rss accuser mwms'rron cosmos srs'rutr Richard B. Hunter, Shorewood, Wis, assimor to Cutler-Hammer, Inc, Milwaukee, Wis a corporation oi Delaware Application July 15,1939, Serial No. 284,655

(or. ire-@212) d mnimsl This invention relates to improvements in illinninstion control systems and more portion lsrly to illumination control systems comprising a plurality of lamp circuits with provision for presetting n plurahty of intensities of illuminat tion or each circuit and effecting transition from one preset intensity to another at a desired rate by the operation of s master fader control potentiometer while at the some time ofilordlnc selec tive individuol control of the various individual lamp circuits.

An object of the invention n to provide a system of the aforementioned character includingfor each lump circuit a relay which responds selectively to a pluralltyof control voltages if!!! pressed thereon to vary the illumination intensity of its respective lump circuit in accordance with such response.

. Another object is to provide a system includ ing individual circuit and mastcrcontrol devices providing for presetting of selective values of the illumination intensity of a plurslityoi lamp circuits and simultaneous transition i'rom one preset intensity to another of all oi said lamp d circuits by means or a master control fades.

Another object is to provide a system wherein a plurality of individual lamp circuit controllers may be grouped selectively for joint control from one master controller.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawing is a diagram of a system incorporating the invention. Q

The system as shown comprises two lamp cir iii cults l and 2. Power is supplied to the lamp circoils and to the control circuits-from" thc'oitr hating current bus bars L L Each of the lamp circuits receives current through an autotransformer dimmer it which has its primary winding connected across lines L and L and which is provided with a; sliding contact d by means of which a variable secondary voltage of the trans-- former may be impressed on the lamp circuit. The sliding contactor or brush 8 connects the various taps of the transformer winding; with the contact her 5, to which one'termiml of the lamp circuit is connected while the other terminal of the lamp circuit is connected to the line IF. The brush l may be moved along the transformer taps and bar 5 by a screw 5 which is driven by a reversible motor I, the latter being provided with reversing windings and being controlled by relay 8. The relay 8 comprises a lever 8 pivoted at its center and carrying at each end thereof a magnet core 8, said lever being normally biased to a center or horizontal position, as shown, in any suitable manner. The cores are surrounded by polarizing coils 6 and scene control coils and li respectively. The lever B is provided with a contact arm ii which when the lever ro,-= 6

totes makes contact with stationery contacts 8 and fl respectively, to thereby energize one or the other of the reversing windings of motor 6 end to cause the latter to rotate. in a corresponding' direction. The circuit arrangement for the lemon group 2 and any other additional light circuits is the some as that'thus far described.

The system further includes two fader control masters ill and i3 respectively, each comprising at potentiometer rheostat or cutotransiormer li and it respectively, which are connected across the lines L end L and which are provided with sliding contests i2 and ii, respectively. The sliding contacts or brushes l2 and 63* are con-. ncctc-ol with each other mechanically to move simulteneously in opposite directions relative to the lines L end L over the potentiometcrs lZ and it respectively, so that when one of the brushes moves, for instance, in the direction from line L to line L the other brush moves in the reverse direction.

Lamp circuit 1 is provided with two scene potentiometers Mend it, respectively, the potentiometers being connected between line L and the brushes iii" and i2" respectively, and being provided with sliding contacts or brushes N and ric respectively. The potentiometer recelver rheostat it comprises a resistance, it whichiscconnected between the lines L and U 5nd a sliding contact I6 which makes contact between a variable point of the rheostat l6 and a contact her Et The contact l6 is driven to move synchronously with -the contact brush 4 so that the position of the former corresponds to the 4 flowing there-through produces equal up and down.

pulls'on the respective armetures, both tending to rotate the relay lever. in the some direction to thereby close the corresponding motor circuit and cause rotation 01' the latter to decrease the voltage impressed on the-lamps and decrease the voltage and current of the coils 8.- coils 8 and 8 are wound so that they tend to cause rotation of the armature lever in a given direction, while the coils'fl? tend to reverse said rotation. Hence the relay is balanced and its contacts are open as long as the aggregate pull from coils 8 and 8 is equal to that from the coils 8. If the brilliancy of the lamps is to be increased it is only necessary to increase the voltage impressed upon coils 8 and/or 8. This causesthe relay to close the motor circuit to in crease the lamp voltage and to simultaneously increase the current in the coils 3 untilthe pull is again balanced when the relay opens its contacts and the motor is disconnected. The action is reversed if the lamp voltage is to be lowered.

Assuming that the system is connected as shown and described and the brushes N and 13 are in their extreme right hand position; no voltage is impressedupon the potentiometers I5 and full line voltage is impressed upon the potentiorneters 14 so that the latter are in sole control and the lamp intensity of each lamp circuit depends upon the setting of the brushes M If it is now desired to enact scene 2 the potentiometers iii are adjusted to the desired'new value, whereupon the fader master brushes IZ and i3 are moved to the extreme left hand position which reduces the voltages on thepotentiometers M to zero and impresses full line potential on the potentiometers l5, thereby subjecting the motors i and the corresponding lamp circuits to the control of the potentiometers of scene 2.

It .is of course possible, if desired, to leave the brushes IT and 13 in an intermediate position in which case the voltage controlling the illumination intensity of the lamp groups is a resultant of the two voltagesoi the potentiometers l4 and I 5. It is possible of course to further expand the system shown by other well known means such as group and grand master potentiometers of any known type suitable for this type of controller.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is:

1. A control system comprising a circuit to be controlled, a controller for said circuit including a voltage regulator-adapted to supply'a voltage varying with an operating value of said circuit and an electromagnetic relay having a balancing winding responsive to said voltage and a plurality of control windings cooperating with said balancing winding, a plurality of sender voltage regulators, one for each of said plurality of control windings-each regulator providing for a variable ratio between its input and output voltage and arranged to impress its output voltage upon the respective control winding, and a pair of faders adapted to increase the input voltage of one and simultaneously decrease the input aaoaeor voltage of another of said plurality of sender voltage regulators.

2. A control system comprising a circuit to be controlled, a controller for said circuit including a voltage regulator adapted to supply a voltage varying with an operating value of said circuit and an electromagnetic relay having a balancing winding responsive to said voltage to thereby effect a change in said operating value and a plurality of control windings adapted to counteract the effect of said balancing winding, a plurality of sender voltage regulators, one for each of said plurality of control windings, each regulator providing for a variable ratio between its input and output voltage and arranged to lin press its output voltage uponthe respective control winding, and a pair of iaders adapted to increase the input voltage of one and simultaneously decrease the input voltage of another of said plurality of sender voltage regulators.

3. A control system comprising a circuit to be controlled, a controller for said circuit including a potentiometer adapted to supply an output voltage varying in accordance with the voltage of said circuit and an electromagnetic relay having a balancing winding responsiveto said output voltage and a pair of control windings adapted to counteract the effect of said balancing winding, a pair of sender potentiometers, one for each of said control windings, each potentiometer adapted to impress its output voltage upon the respective control winding, and a pair of faders adapted to simultaneously vary the input voltages of said sender potentiometers in opposite directions.

4. In an illumination control system affording of sender potentiometers, .one for each of said.

control windings and each adapted to'impress its output voltage upon the respective control winding, and a pair of faders adapted to increase the input voltages of one of each of a plurality of a said pairs of sender potentiometers ,and simul taneously to decrease the input voltages of the other of each of said plurality of said pairs of sender potentiometers.

RICHARD B. HUNTER. 

